Canning Bread and Butter Squash Pickles

Pickles! They're not just for cucumbers any more!

Pickling foods has been around for hundreds of years... and for good reason... it's not hard to do, it preserves the foods so well, and pickled veggies are good for us in so many ways... our digestive systems LOVE pickles.

With my squash bounty I decided to make bread and butter squash pickles (so pretty in the jar... and so tasty!) Here's what I did...

I sliced up my squash in 1/4 inch slices... 16 cups

I sliced up 4 cups of onions (I used Vidalias, but any onions will work just fine)

Pay no attention to the can of pineapple behind the salt... it was used in another project!

I measured a half cup canning and pickling salt.

I mixed my squash slices and onion slices in a large stock pot, and poured the half cup of salt over the mixture.

Then filled the pot with water to completely cover the veggies.

I covered the pot and let the brine and veggie mixture sit for at least 2 hours (I think mine went for 3 while I was doing other things).

After the brine soaking time, I drained the mixture thoroughly.

For the pickling syrup, I mixed in a large stock pot...

4 cups white vinegar

2 cups granulated sugar

4 Tablespoons mustard seed

2 Tablespoons celery seed

2 teaspoons ground turmeric (so good for you and adds a beautiful natural yellow color)

I brought this mixture to a boil. Then added in my squash onion mixture (drained, remember!)

I mixed it all up thoroughly and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Then I started filling my pint canning jars that I had washed and kept hot until I was ready for them. I filled the jars with the hot pickle mixture leaving a half inch of headspace.

I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth.

Then adjusted the hot lids and rings onto the jars to a fingertip tightness.

I love my magnetic wand gadget... so handy to have around!

I process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

When the processing was complete, I lifted the jars out of the water bath (with another handy gadget, my jar lifter) and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar!

Mmmm... can't wait to have these yummy pickles with a sandwich and some chips... or with a dish of pinto beans and cornbread!